What is a Gold Award?

I’m not sure why it is that so many of us know what the Eagle Scout award is, but haven’t heard of the Gold Award. I hope you will read on, so that the next time you see “Gold Award” on a young woman’s resume – instead of asking her “What is a Gold Award,” you can ask her about her project, what she did, what she learned and the impact she had.

The Gold Award is the highest award a Girl Scout can earn. We recently published a list of 169 young women in Girl Scouts of Northern California who earned their Gold Awards this past year. They each did a lot more than earn an Award — they helped make the world a better place.

When I told my former colleagues: “I’m leaving to join the Girl Scouts,” I heard back from quite a few proud Eagle Scouts. I heard from just one Gold Award Girl Scout, so I asked her: “Do you include your Gold Award on your resume, and, if so, how have people responded?” Her answer was interesting – she always included “Gold Award” on her resume, but as far as she could recall no one ever asked her what she did to earn it; instead they asked her “What is a Gold Award?”

It probably hasn’t helped the cause that Girl Scouts’ highest award has had 4 different names over the years: Golden Eagle of Merit; Curved Bar (1940-1963), First Class (1963-1980) and, now, the Gold Award. So, now that you know a good excuse for past ignorance, here’s the scoop for your future enlightenment:

Girls usually begin working on their Gold Award projects in high school, after months or even years of preparation which includes honing leadership skills, building community connections, and constructing a base of knowledge necessary to plan and complete a project. The Gold Award project must demonstrate leadership, community service, address a need, and take approximately 80 hours to complete – many projects take far longer.

Already this year, we’ve had girls making a difference at home and afar through diverse, impactful projects:

Supraja traveled to India to lead self-esteem building programs at a school for girls who had been displaced from their homes because of religious warfare or poverty.

Becky coordinated with 40 organizations and vendors and led a week’s worth of environmental awareness activities in the South Bay that resulted in indigenous tree planting, recycling kiosks, and energy-saving bulb distribution in her community.

Megan worked with elders in her Bay Area community to record the history and important traditions of her local Buddist temple.

Amelia, who seriously struggled with reading aloud and self-confidence as a child, started a program called Reading to Dogs to help elementary students gain confidence as readers. Amelia brought her poodle to schools so students who feared reading aloud in front of teachers and classmates could practice reading in a non-threatening way with her pet, and she also donated books and stuffed animals to students so they could continue growing more confident as readers at home.

The Gold Award makes a significant impact in our communities and also prepares young women for the challenges they may face in their lives. The girls who earn Gold Awards have learned to identify a problem, define a solution and take action to address it.

I always love hearing from Curved Bar, First Class and Gold Award Girl Scouts. I have met women who don’t bother to include this accomplishment on their resumes because they assume no one knows what it means. I think it’s time to change that. If you earned Girl Scouts’ highest award and have a story to share, and you prefer not to post a comment, please feel free to send me an email: mpark@girlscoutsnorcal.org.